Defining Moment

Life is full of defining moments, from first steps to first words to first crush. And perhaps the greatest defining moment is when one discovers the power of God at work in their life.

You could say I put this moment off because it’s quite intimidating. I dodged chances to see God in my life, but my efforts grew tiresome and I started opening my life to God’s presence.

I just didn’t realize how impactful God’s presence would be.

Sixth and seventh grades were great years for me. I had a great group of friends, I was healthy, and I was playing basketball.

Basketball was such an important aspect of my life, because it was fun and stress-relieving and a bonding activity.

As eighth grade continued, my relationships with these girls grew stronger and stronger. Soon basketball season started and I couldn’t have been more excited.

Next year would be a whole different game because it would be the start of high school basketball. Playing high school basketball was everything to me, and getting to play it with my best friends made it even better. But after the season,

I hit a snag in some of my friendships. I was in the midst of trying to figure out who I was. For some time I thought that popularity and the quantity of friends outweighed the quality of friends.

I joined my school’s track team with my friends in hopes to restore our relationships. At our second-to-last meet, I took too long of a leap over a hurdle and I toppled on my left leg. I had a fracture in my left foot which required two screws to fix.

This injury meant my retirement from basketball, a sport that had been a part of my life since I could walk.

I went through a lot of emotions during my recovery, but what I mostly felt was anger. I was angry at my friends for not being there for me, and I was angry at God.

I felt like God could have prevented me from getting hurt. I felt betrayed, so I carried around a grudge for a while until I saw a new path.

That’s when the injury went from a devastating loss of friends and sports to a blessing.

And so by forgiving my past, living in the present, and being hopeful about the future, I can live a full life through God.